A Florida doctor died weeks after receiving a Covid-19 vaccine. While the cause of death was not clear, the doctor's wife claimed that he died due to a strong reaction to the jab.
Dr. Gregory Michael was an obstetrician-gynecologist at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach. The 56-year-old healthcare professional died after suffering a hemorrhagic stroke apparently resulting from a lack of platelets. He was administered the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine on Dec. 18, 2020.
Owing to the concerns over the doctor's death sudden death, the Florida Department of Health said in a statement that the Miami medical examiners launched an investigation. The communications director Jason Mahon said that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are responsible for reviewing Covid-19 vaccine safety data and presenting that information for federal recommendations on vaccine administration. "The state will continue to provide all available information to the CDC as they lead this investigation," he added.
Cause of Death: Vaccine?
In a Facebook post, the wife of the doctor, Heidi Neckelmann, said: "The love of my life, my husband Gregory Michael MD an Obstetrician that had his office in Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach Died the day before yesterday due to a strong reaction to the Covid vaccine."
She wrote that Michael sought emergency care three days after the vaccination because he had dots on his skin that indicated internal bleeding. She said the condition led to the stroke, called thrombocytopenia, which can be characterized by abnormally low levels of platelets in the blood. A healthy individual's platelet count ranges from 150,000 to 450,000 platelets per microliter of blood.
According to Mayo Clinic, thrombocytopenia might occur as a result of a bone marrow disorder such as leukemia or an immune system problem. The development of such a condition can be the side effects of taking certain medications.
Neckelmann wrote that a team of doctors from across the country tried for two weeks to raise his platelet count "to no avail." The Florida doctor was conscious until suffering a hemorrhagic stroke which took his life "in a matter of minutes," said the wife.
Michael, a vaccine advocate, received the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in December. However, after the death of the Florida doctor, Pfizer said in a statement, "We are actively investigating this case, but we don't believe at this time that there is any direct connection to the vaccine." The US company also noted that there is no indication that the vaccine could be connected to thrombocytopenia.
"It is important to note that serious adverse events, including deaths that are unrelated to the vaccine are unfortunately likely to occur at a similar rate as they would in the general population," said Pfizer.
Side Effects
According to the FDA, the most common side effects of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine include pain at the injection site, tiredness, headache, muscle pain, chills, joint pain, and fever. As of now. neither the federal agency nor the developers of the vaccine reported any dangerous or life-threatening side effects.
Michael's wife wrote on the Facebook post that people should know about the side effects and blamed the vaccine for destroying "a beautiful life, a perfect family."
"Do not let his death be in vain please save more lives by making this information news," she added.
